The Laboratory - Its Place In The Modern World (Paperback)

THE LABORATORY its Place in the Modern World by D. STARK MURRAY, B. Sc., M. B., Ch. B. Assistant Pathologist, Archway Group Laboratory, L. C. C. 12 HENRIETTA STREET, W. C. 2 First Published 1934 Printed in Great Britain AT THE PRESS OF BURALL BROTHER WISBECH, GAMES. CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 7 PART I A Survey I THE LABORATORY AND ITS STAFF Q II THE RESEARCH TEMPERAMENT 13 III THE CAREERS OPEN TO LABORATORY WORKERS IQ IV THE REWARDS OF RESEARCH 36 PART II The Laboratory in Medicine V THE PATHOLOGICAL LABORATORY 4 VI SOME ROUTINE PROBLEMS 46 VII THE LABORATORY AND THE PATIENT 53 VIII RESEARCH IN THE ROUTINE LABORA TORY 67 IX THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE 74 PART III Research in Other Fields X RESEARCH OUTSIDE THE LABORATORY 85 XI INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH 94 XII THE FUTURE OF RESEARCH 109 INTRODUCTION IT is my hope that this book will satisfy an existing demand for information on a subject that is attracting an increasing amount of attention and at the same time will stimulate an additional interest in the relation of scientific research to industry and to the whole life of the nation. It cannot do more than touch upon the chief types of laboratory and methods of research and is only intended to give a general outline to those who have no means of collecting the information for themselves. Nevertheless, it may make those who have a closer connection with scientific methods take an even greater interest in the possibilities of research. In preparing the book I have visited many laboratories and have to thank a very large number of scientific workers for the time and trouble they have taken in showing me their laboratories and telling me of their problems. In true scientific fashion they endeavoured toassist me with my task, that of collecting informa tion of interest to the general reader, and I have tried in what follows to repay that assistance by giving an accurate account of what is going on in laboratories all over the country. CHAPTER I THE LABORATORY AND ITS STAFF ROMANCE and the laboratory are almost in variably associated in the public mind. The name brings to most people a vision of white coated scientists bending over tubes, bottles and weird apparatus, making wonderful discoveries. The discovery may be on the one hand a new death-dealing poison or, on the other hand, a new drug that will cure mans worst disease. Fiction is full of stories of laboratories but these are hardly as romantic as some of the real dis coveries that have been made. Laboratories, as we shall see, serve many purposes and the equipment and general plan of each depends on the exact problems with which they are intended to deal. Some, while still retaining the same and certain characteristics are so highly specialised that a brief description cannot cover them. But, in general, laboratories closely resemble each other in appearance. Well-lighted benches across or under large windows benches equipped with sinks of various sizes, abundant gas jets and electric light plugs THE LABORATORY form the basic furniture. Cupboards of various kinds and various tables for special apparatus take up the remainder of the space. The biologist is distinguished by his microscope, the chemist by his tripod and boiling flask, but otherwise they work in very similar rooms and atmosphere. The workers vary at least as much as the prob lems they tackle but here also there is a common basis, a foundation of training in methodsof observation, calculation and deduction. Except in a few very specialised laboratories workers who have had a general training usually possess sufficient knowledge of the technique of a variety of subjects to be able to apply to a problem a variety of methods borrowed from other branches of science. We shall have occasion to mention this repeatedly, for modern industry and modern science are always ready to take from any science methods and ideas of value to themselves. The workers in any laboratory are usually sharply divided into two classes...